John Beeley Was from Manchester's Openshaw area and attended Wheler St School

VC Action: John Beeley (8 February 1918-21 November 1941) was 23 years old, and a Rifleman in The King's Royal Rifle Corps, British Army during the Second World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the posthumous VC.

Beeley was with the 1st Battalion of the King's Royal Rifle Corps during Operation Crusade, the attempt to relieve the besieged British Eighth Army garrison at Tobruk.

On the 21st November, 1941, during the attack at Sidi Rezegh, Libya, North Africa, against a strong enemy position, the company to which Rifleman Beeley belonged was pinned down by heavy fire at point-blank range from the front and flank on the flat, open ground of the aerodrome. All the officers but one of the company and many of the other ranks had been either killed or wounded. On his own initiative, and when there was no sort of cover, Rifleman Beeley got to his feet carrying a Bren gun and ran forward towards a strong enemy post containing an anti-tank gun, a heavy machine gun and a light machine gun.

He ran thirty yards and discharged a complete magazine at the post from a range of twenty yards, killing or wounding the entire crew of the anti-tank gun. The post was silenced and Rifleman Beeley's platoon was enabled to advance, but Rifleman Beeley fell dead across his gun, hit in at least four places. Rifleman Beeley went to certain death in a gallant and successful attempt to carry the day. His courage and self-sacrifice were a glorious example to his comrades and inspired them to further efforts to reach their objective, which was eventually captured by them, together with 700 prisoners.